Chapter 120: Return of Cipher
Ohema. The Holy City of Dawn operated as usual, with pedestrians hurrying through the streets and vendors loudly hawking their wares. A figure weaved through the crowd, her hood pulled low, revealing only a delicate chin and a few strands of gray hair. Cipher had returned.
She was like a traveler who had just arrived, finding everything new and fascinating. Passing a candy store, she paused, tilting her head to examine an unfamiliar snack on the shelf. "Oh? They didn't have this before." She strolled to the edge of a pond, where several goldfish swam. She squatted down to look at her reflection; the face in the water was both familiar and strange. Centuries had left few traces on her face, but deep within her emerald eyes lay a weariness that outsiders could not comprehend.
Cipher wandered aimlessly. She knew where she should go and who she should see, but she refused. She was like a cunning cat, always sniffing around before stepping into a trap. Finally, she looked up at the tallest building in the heart of the city—Aglaea's Weaving Workshop.
The Weaving Workshop was quiet as usual. Aglaea stood with her back to the door, her fingertips gently touching a piece of fabric. Cipher swaggered in, as if she had just been there yesterday. She looked around, her gaze settling on Aglaea's back.
"Tailor Woman, your clothes here have gotten much more expensive. For old times' sake, how about a discount… no, just give me two sets as a welcome gift?"
"Alright, you can pick anything inside." Aglaea seemed to have anticipated her guest and did not turn around.
Cipher snorted softly and walked straight inside. She looked through the luxurious garments, finding one too plain in color, another too old-fashioned in style. Every item in the Weaving Workshop was enough to drive noblewomen wild, but in her eyes, they all seemed to lack something.
Finally, her gaze moved past the clothes and settled on a corner deep within the Weaving Workshop. There, a black-haired young man sat quietly, engrossed in a ledger.
Cipher stared at you for a long time. From the moment she entered, you hadn't looked up at her, even calmer than Aglaea. Seeing no reaction from you, she pouted and began pacing back and forth in front of you. Her golden boots clacked on the floor, the sound exceptionally clear in the quiet Weaving Workshop.
You didn't even lift an eyelid. She even meowed a few times, trying to get your attention. However, you still didn't react.
Frustration began to rise on Cipher's face. She had only intended to see Aglaea, accept the task, and then disappear immediately. She had even prepared herself to sting you with the harshest words if she encountered you, to make you give up on ever finding her again, and then leave gracefully.
But the current situation had completely deviated from her expectations. Ignored! You actually ignored her! Completely, as if she were just air. This was more disorienting than any imagined reunion. Her blood began to pound in her temples, and something in her chest felt like it was about to explode. An inexplicable rage surged within her, making her forget her original plan and only wanting to contend with you.
She rushed to the desk in a few steps, slamming her hands down on the surface, almost lunging into your face. "Hey! Little cat!" She almost bit out the long-forgotten nickname. "Haven't seen you in centuries, are you blind? Or deaf? Didn't you see me?!"
Your finger, turning the ledger page, paused.
"Hey! Orion! Stop pretending!" She raised her voice. "If you don't respond, do you believe I'll tear up this rotten book!"
You finally looked up. But your gaze seemed to pierce through her, looking towards Aglaea behind her. "Aya, this week's accounts have been reconciled, no issues."
Aglaea put down the fabric and turned around. "Mm, thank you for your hard work."
In that instant, Cipher felt as if she had been slapped hard. She had become a transparent backdrop. All her provocations and anger were like punches hitting cotton, silent and ineffective. Anger, resentment, sorrow—all emotions churned in her chest like a volcano. Her fists clenched, knuckles cracking.
"Little cat!!! You damn…"
"Cipher," Aglaea's voice was like a basin of cold water. "Come with me, let's catch up."
This sentence instantly extinguished Cipher's rage. She understood that 'catching up' was just an excuse; it was time to discuss business. Cipher froze in place, her chest heaving violently. She turned to glare fiercely at you, only to find that you had already lowered your head, your gaze back on the ledger. Your attitude was like the sharpest thorn, piercing deeply into her heart.
She slammed her hand on the table. "Coming!" She roared out these two words and followed Aglaea into the inner room.
Not long after, the door to the inner room opened again. Cipher walked out. She subconsciously glanced at you. She should have left then; the task was clear, there was no reason to linger. But Cipher's footsteps inexplicably stopped. The emotions in her heart wouldn't let her just leave. She looked at you, and centuries of time overlapped in this moment. The years spent running side-by-side on the streets of Dolos, the nights sharing bread on rooftops, the times secretly sneaking into the theater together… all surged forth.
Her lips moved slightly, "Little cat…" "Actually…"
Actually, I…
That secret hidden deep in her heart, that explanation, that apology, was almost on the tip of her tongue. But the words ultimately caught in her throat. Reason, like ice water, sobered her. What was there to say? Saying it would only make things worse, wouldn't it? Forget it… She pulled at the corner of her mouth in self-mockery, her eyes dimming.
Just then, you looked up. Your gaze fell directly on her face. Cipher froze instantly. This was followed by a brief moment of surprise, and then, a mixture of delight and triumph appeared on her face. She even puffed out her chest, as if to say, "What? Finally couldn't resist?"
Then, you spoke: "Why?"
Cipher paused. "…What?"
Your gaze locked onto her, digging out the question that had been buried for centuries, word by word. "Why… did you leave me?"
In that instant, all color drained from Cipher's face. Her triumphant smile, her feigned ease, all her disguises and defenses, collapsed before that question. This question was the nightmare she had fled for countless eternal nights. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. The next second, she whirled around, using all her strength, stumbling as she fled out of the Weaving Workshop. She knocked over a clothes rack, and beautiful fabrics scattered across the floor, but she didn't care. She only wanted to escape, to escape this question, to escape your gaze, to escape this place that filled her with immense guilt. Soon, her figure vanished into the dawn of Ohema.